Switching EHRs With Unpaid Insurance Claims
By George Ruan • October 7, 2026
Last reviewed: October 7, 2026.
You can switch EHRs while insurance claims are still unpaid. Pick a go-live date: claims for visits before it finish in the old system, and claims for visits on or after it go out from the new one. Keep the old account open until those older claims pay or close, because moving client records does not move claims, remittances, or payer enrollments.
Sections
Set a go-live date for new claims
The date matters more than the import. When Bomi starts submitting claims for a practice, we file for visits on or after an agreed date and ask the practice to stop filing those visits itself. We also check for claims already sent, so a visit is not filed twice. Use the same rule for an EHR switch: one system per date of service.
A clinician moving to Bomi’s EHR planned it this way. They kept billing their existing clients through the old practice for a few more weeks so those claims could pay out there, and only then started new claims in the new system. That kind of short overlap is better than splitting one client’s claims across two systems.
Leave old claims where they started
SimplePractice says transferring account data does not change how payers process existing claims. Corrections, appeals, and payment posting for those claims are usually easiest in the system that sent them, because it holds the original claim, the acceptance report, and the payer claim number.
Export a list of open claims with date of service, payer, status, and payer claim number before you change anything.
Do not recreate unpaid visits in the new EHR to make the dashboard look complete. If a payer already has the claim, a second one gets denied as a duplicate.
Check status before acting. A claim with a payer claim number was received, even if a later electronic status check says it cannot be found.
Keep the old login until the last old claim pays or is closed, and download a backup copy of your data before you cancel.
Check that every client came across
Importing is only half the job. When a practice imported its SimplePractice clients into Bomi’s EHR, every client came across as inactive, matching how they were marked in the old system, and one client had been duplicated. Neither problem was obvious until someone compared the lists. Before you disconnect the old EHR:
Compare client counts and spot-check names and insurance between systems.
Look for duplicates and records with the wrong active or inactive status.
Rebuild your calendar, including blocked time, in the new system. Appointments are often not part of an import.
Confirm that saved cards and autopay settings came across, or plan to collect them again.
For the SimplePractice side, see what a SimplePractice export includes.
Move ERAs payer by payer
Electronic remittances (ERAs) are sent to whichever system the payer has on file, not to whichever system you are using. If you switch too early, old claims can pay with no remittance in either system. SimplePractice’s Payment Report enrollment FAQ says an accepted enrollment through SimplePractice disconnects the existing clearinghouse connection, and that an old clearinghouse connection does not carry over to a new account.
So change ERA enrollment one payer at a time, after the old claims for that payer have mostly paid. Direct deposit (EFT) is a separate enrollment with the payer and usually does not need to change just because the EHR changed. If a deposit arrives with no remittance, get the payer’s claim detail from its portal before posting the money.
Changing billers at the same time? Pair this with the old-claims handoff guide.
Related Guides
Frequently Asked Questions
Does switching EHRs cancel claims I already sent?
No. Payers keep processing claims they received. Work them from the old system, where the original claim and payer claim number live.
When can I cancel my old EHR?
After the last claim sent from it has paid or closed, its remittances have arrived, and you have saved a backup export. Until then, keep at least one login active.
Do I need to redo ERA enrollment?
Usually yes, for each payer, if the new system receives remittances through a different clearinghouse. Time it so older claims’ remittances are not stranded.
Sources
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About Bomi
Founded by George Ruan, Dax Earl, and Andrey Goder, Bomi helps independent therapists and group practices with insurance billing, credentialing, and payer follow-up. Bomi grew out of Dax’s experience helping his mother with her therapy practice, with a clear purpose: reduce the administrative burden of insurance while keeping practice owners in control.
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